Adding a Secondary Endorsement to an ELEMENTARY Certificate

An individualized program for adding a new level endorsement must have prior approval from a teacher certification advisor and be on file in 134 Erickson Hall.

Adding a Secondary Level Endorsement to an Elementary Certificate

Teachers who wish to add a secondary level endorsement to an elementary certificate through MSU must complete a planned program that meets Michigan Department of Education (MDE) requirements for secondary certification. Requirements include the following:

An endorsement plan that includes a minimum of 20 semester credits taken after initial certification

At MSU, the guidelines that apply to initial certification are also applied to teachers adding new level endorsements. According to the State of Michigan "Teacher Certification Code" (R 390.1124 3), the guidelines are as follows:

For an applicant who has a master's (or higher) degree and three years of successful teaching experience at the appropriate level, together with a recommendation from the school superintendent and the institution recommending the certificate, the complete six semester hour requirement may be waived.

For an applicant who has less than a master's degree but has five years of successful teaching experience at the appropriate level, together with a recommendation from the school superintendent and the institution recommending the certificate, the complete six semester hour requirement may be waived.

Notes:

The school district superintendent (or designee) must verify, in writing, the grade levels taught and that the teaching experience was successful; he or she must request a waiver on behalf of the teacher.

To be recommended for certification by MSU, an applicant must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 and a GPA of at least 2.5 in the coursework required for the new endorsement, with no single grade lower than 2.0. Teachers with Graduate Certification (GC) status are expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required to receive Financial Aid.